Bataclan (theatre)
The Bataclan is a music hall located at 50 Boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, France. Designed in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval, its name refers to Ba-ta-clan, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach. Since the early 1970s, it has been a venue for rock music.
On 13 November 2015, 90 people were killed in a coordinated terrorist attack in the theatre.
History
Origin and use
The Bataclan originated as a large café/concert in the Chinoiserie (Chinese) style, with the café and theatre on the ground floor and a large dance hall at the first-floor level. Its original name was Grand Café Chinois.
The French name "Bataclan" refers to the Offenbach operetta. Still, it is also a pun on the expression tout le bataclan (the "kit and caboodle", or "all that jazz", or "the whole nine yards"), the oldest written use of which predates Offenbach by almost a century, in a journal entry of 11 November 1761 by Charles Simon Favart.
Concerts were held there but it was best known for putting on the vaudevilles of Eugène Scribe, Jean-François Bayard, Mélesville, and Théophile Marion Dumersan.
The establishment, designed in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval, opened under the management of André Martin Paris on 3 February 1865 and was later bought by the singer Paulus in 1892. Also in 1892, Buffalo Bill Cody performed there. Over the next several years, the building experienced both good and bad luck and many changes in ownership. New fashions after 1910 led to a restoration of the auditorium and a program dedicated solely to revues, especially those put on by José de Bérys. Maurice Chevalier had his first theatrical success there, and Edith Piaf also performed there. Inspired by their new successes, the Bataclan troupe took big shows on a South American tour that proved financially disastrous.
In 1926 the auditorium was sold and transformed into a cinema. A fire broke out in the building in 1933. The original building was partially demolished in 1950 to bring it into compliance with new safety measures then in force. In 1969, the cinema closed, and the auditorium again became a salle de spectacle (usually translated as theatre, occasionally as an exhibition hall).
The venue started booking rock acts in the 1970s, and many famous performers have played there. Among them are Genesis, Soft Machine, Dream Theater, and Kraftwerk. Following the terror attacks on 13 November 2015, during the concert by Eagles of Death Metal, the theatre was closed for repairs. The venue reopened one year after the attack with a Sting concert.
The Bataclan is known today for a very eclectic program of events, including rock and pop concerts, spectacles, comedy, discos, and café-théâtre. Its façade was repainted in its original colors in 2006, but its pagoda roof has been removed. In May 2015, the theatre hosted a "Who Is Malcolm X" event, featuring Muslim rappers Médine, Kery James, Disiz, and Faada Freddy.
Jeff Buckley recorded his EP Live from the Bataclan there in 1995. Progressive metal band Dream Theater recorded their 1998 live album Once in a LIVEtime at the Bataclan.[9] The 1972 performance by Lou Reed, John Cale, and Nico of the Velvet Underground, long circulated as a bootleg, was officially released in 2004 as Le Bataclan '72. Camel's 2001 live album The Paris Collection was recorded there.
- Wikipedia article: Bataclan (theatre)
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